What is psychological safety?
Psychological safety is a key component of healthy team dynamics. Broadly speaking, psychological safety means that a team has a common understanding that they can take risks, share their thoughts and worries, ask questions, and acknowledge errors without being afraid of negative outcomes. It is having confidence that no one will embarrass, belittle or reject them for speaking up.
In a psychologically safe environment, team members feel confident enough to take risks, voice honest opinions and share ideas, which can lead to more innovation, creativity, and cooperation. This might look like suggesting an unusual idea, vocalizing concern, or even admitting mistakes. Psychologically safe teams respond to these moments with affirmation, questions, or reciprocation. Check out the table below for some examples you can try.
| Method | Examples |
|---|---|
| Affirmation | Thanks for asking that question; I’m sure others had the same one. Let’s think about how we can run with this new idea |
| Questions | How can I support you right now? How do you see this idea impacting ___? |
| Reciprocation | I had that same question! I understand how you feel; I made that same mistake last week. |
Teams that normalize treating each other this way enforce the idea that it’s okay to be human and that everyone is on the same side.
Beyond it feeling good to feel safe and accepted on a team, what reasons do leaders have to invest in psychological safety so heavily? We’ll explore this in our next unit: Why do we need psychological safety?